3 ms·

There are a lot of armchair scientists touting their ill-informed theories, such as “she lives on the 3rd floor” and “she just passes a lot of gas”. Building a

There are a lot of armchair scientists touting their ill-informed theories, such as “she lives on the 3rd floor” and “she just passes a lot of gas”. Building are complex structures with numerous pathways and extensive air flow channels that harmful chemicals could pass through or get blown. Often, airflow equipment is in the basement or first floor, blowing air throughout a building. The best way to handle this is to 1) stop the pseudo-scientific babble, and 2) perform scientific measurements of the air quality by qualified professionals. From the article, it looks like she is doing her best to quantify her health issues and to get scientific help. What’s wrong with that?

deleted 6y ago
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freetime2 6y ago
There have absolutely been cases where well-meaning people on the internet have caused harm by latching on to a pseudo-scientific explanation for an unexplained illness. I’m thinking of anti-vaxxers, chronic lyme disease, etc. I think it’s commendable that the author is trying to quantify her health issues, but I also don’t think she makes a very strong case that the cause is toxic waste in the ground as opposed to some other issue. It is irresponsible in my opinion for her to write an article titled “I thought I was dying: My apartment was built on toxic waste” without more concrete evidence. If she is wrong, this could cause undue panic and suffering for other residents in the area, as well as monetary damages to the building’s owner. Of course there is also the possibility that she is right, too. But given the severity of her symptoms, and the number of residents in the complex, I would expect to see more people showing up at local hospitals with similar issues. I think the correct course of action for a person in this situation would basically be to report the issue to local health authorities and the building’s management, and move out as soon as possible.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

freetime2 6y ago

There have absolutely been cases where well-meaning people on the internet have caused harm by latching on to a pseudo-scientific explanation for an unexplained illness. I’m thinking of anti-vaxxers, chronic lyme disease, etc. I think it’s commendable that the author is trying to quantify her health issues, but I also don’t think she makes a very strong case that the cause is toxic waste in the ground as opposed to some other issue. It is irresponsible in my opinion for her to write an article titled “I thought I was dying: My apartment was built on toxic waste” without more concrete evidence. If she is wrong, this could cause undue panic and suffering for other residents in the area, as well as monetary damages to the building’s owner. Of course there is also the possibility that she is right, too. But given the severity of her symptoms, and the number of residents in the complex, I would expect to see more people showing up at local hospitals with similar issues. I think the correct course of action for a person in this situation would basically be to report the issue to local health authorities and the building’s management, and move out as soon as possible.